1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system which includes a plurality of wireless interface devices which are interfaced to a server; each wireless interface device including one or more flash or other type of electronically programmable memory devices. The memory devices are adapted to be programmed by way of a radio link.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flash memory devices are known in the art and are typically used in computer systems for storing certain programmed instructions, such as the basic input/output system (BIOS). The flash memory devices normally include a protected area which may be used for storing software to enable the system to be rebooted, in the event that the data in the flash memory device becomes corrupt. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/885,805, filed on May 15, 1992, now U.S. Patent No. 5,634,079, assigned to the same assignee as the assignee of the present invention, discloses a computer system which includes a flash memory device for storing the BIOS. In order to enable the system to be rebooted in the event of a flash disaster (i.e., when the data within the flash memory device becomes corrupt), a special purpose parallel port is provided. The special purpose parallel port switches from a standard peripheral interface mode to a special purpose interface mode when the flash memory device becomes corrupt. In the special purpose interface mode, the parallel port enables the BIOS to be executed from an external ROM or another personal computer.
U. S. patent application Ser. No. 08/469,206, filed on Jun. 6, 1995, now abandoned, also assigned to the same assignee as the assignee of the present invention, also relates to a computer system which utilizes flash ROM for BIOS. In that system, the BIOS initialization functions are stored in the boot block, or protected area, of the flash memory device in order to enable the flash memory device to be reprogrammed when the data becomes corrupt.
Such flash memory devices are heretofore known to be updated by various means, for example, by way of a serial port, parallel port and a floppy disk. In all such applications, the programming of the flash memory devices is done locally at the device in which the flash memory devices are being used.
U.S. patent application. Ser. No. 08/543,463, filed on Oct. 16, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,327 assigned to the same assignee as the assignee of the present invention, further discloses a system for enabling a wireless interface device, interfaced to a host computer, to be reprogrammed by the host computer over a radio link. In the system disclosed in the '463 patent application, the flash memory devices in only one wireless interface device can be updated by the host.